We sang songs in church this week about peace. The standard message: God is with us to support us when we suffer. And it's true. I don't mean to take anything away from that. But ... I think it's incomplete. I think it's so much better than that.
We like those songs about how God is with us in hard times. "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb 13:5) is a wonderful reality when we're going through pain or stress. So, we hunker down, metaphorically wrapped in the arms of God, and wait it out. But ... that's not the biblical image. Paul says, "We rejoice in our sufferings" (Rom 5:3-5). James says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds" (James 1:2-4) When Joseph faced his brothers for their treachery, he said, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20).And of course, "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28-30). God isn't offering tolerable. He's offering profitable.
We can relax in the arms of our Savior when times get tough ... and they will. But we shouldn't just survive; we should thrive. He intends it for good. We can rejoice. So much better than merely "get by."
1 comment:
As is true with all of our theological topics, they get so much better when we start joining them together. They're great on their own, but exponentially magnify the glory of God as we connect them together.
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